Retaking the Past
by AlthosHol
Summary: The war with the Machines was coming to an end. Skynet had lost, but Skynet had invented time travel hoping to use it to ensure it's own survival. General Connor decides to break the rules. Skynet wasn't the only one who could change the past. Jameron **ON HIATUS**
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Terminator or TSCC. This whole story is solely for entertainment purposes. **

**Summary: The war with the Machines was coming to an end. Humanity had finally managed to beat Skynet back to it's last stand. The Machine War was known, to a few, by a different name: The Temporal War. Skynet had invented time travel, hoping to use it to ensure it's victory in the war. It wasn't long though before the resistance got a hold of the technology themselves. Over and over, Skynet sent machines back in time with the mission of ensuring it's own creation and killing it's greatest threat: John Connor. General Connor had always reacted swiftly. Sending back soldiers and resistance programmed machines to thwart Skynet. Those were the rules. React and defend, nothing more. Attempting to alter the time line was too dangerous. Here's what happens when John decides to break the rules. **

**Chapter 1 **

Connor walked down the barely lit hallway keeping his gaze on the path in front of him. He ignored the sounds of the soldiers around him as they relaxed. Those that weren't asleep jumped to attention as he approached. Connor didn't react as he passed them. His mind going over the plan, debating it's feasibility, just like he had been ever since they had learned of Skynet's last ditch effort to escape it's own destruction.

He slowed his pace as he saw the door at the end of the hall. What he was about to do, had never been done before by the resistance. He'd forbidden it. Tampering with history was like shooting a rifle blind and hoping to hit a particular nail head in the wall across the room.

This would be the last time jump in the war. This was his last chance. While some may look up to him as the leader of the human race or as some kind of messiah sent to save them from the machines, John knew better. He was not the man they all thought he was. Too much death and pain. It had hardened him. There were times when he felt like he had more in common with his machine allies, than his human soldiers.

Machine allies, the terminators captured by the resistance and reprogrammed to aid humanity. They were cold. Ruled by programming and logic. Not an ounce of emotion or free will. Most of them anyways. Some he knew had the potential. Some more than mere potential he thought before his mind returned to the beginning of his analogy.

He could relate. His will had never been his own. His fate predetermined before his birth.

He could remember the words he'd sent back in time with his father. The message meant for his mother. "There is no fate, but that which we make for ourselves." He had never felt more like a liar than he had after giving Kyle Reese that message.

His life was hollow. He felt worn out and beaten. He knew the humans had won the war, but he felt like he had lost everything. He stopped as he thought back to his ex-wife Katherine Brewster nee Connor. His marriage had never really been what one would call normal. They had been thrown together by fate. It had been a T-800 model like "Uncle Bob" that had spilled the beans that they were married in the future, not even days after their meeting for the second time in over ten years. After the bombs fell they had simply stayed together. It was a few years before Kate decided that he just wasn't able to love her like she needed. She said she understood that his life wasn't his own, but no woman wants to be play second fiddle to the entire world.

After his marriage ended he had given up trying to find love. He knew Kate had tried, but he just couldn't give her what she needed. Over the years he simply detached himself from the loneliness. His heart growing numb.

He wasn't cold. He gave everything he had to his men and to the people who depended on him, but his personal desires had faded into the background. Only to be stirred again now at the end of the war. Now that he knew he had a chance to change things forever.

He shook himself from his thoughts as he stepped up to the door he had been staring at. Leaning forward, he allowed the iris scanner on the wall to scan him. He leaned back as the door swung open. He was one of only three people who had access to the room.

Standing just inside the door was one of the others.

"At ease Cameron." John said as he stepped towards the girl in front of him.

The girl relaxed her stance slightly, but remained stoic. It was odd for most people when they first met her. The petite girl was young, her age appearing to be between 16 and 20. Her body lithe, like a dancer, but it was her lack of expression that threw people. At least until they realized what she was.

"Status report." Connor said watching her for a moment.

"TOK-715 reporting for duty. All systems functioning at 100%. Neural Processor efficiency attenuating between 97 an 98.5% well within normal parameters," came the monotone reply.

"Very good." This was the moment John had been thinking about. The cybernetic girl in front of him was the only friend he really had. She'd been with him for almost 10 years and had been his bodyguard night and day the entire time. He hated seeing her like this. No life in her eyes. Just the calculating gaze of a machine waiting for instructions. He knew what instructions he was suppose to give her, but he had no intention of following the plan. It was time for John Connor to break the rules.

He regarded her for one more minute before speaking again. "TOK-715, Command Override Authenticate: John Connor, override code: Sarah Reese 3305 zulu gamma echo 5, activate protocol Dorothy."

The reply was immediate. "Command Override accepted. Protocol activated. System reboot in progress." Her eyes closed as she powered down.

All John could do now was wait. Wait for the 120 second long reboot sequence to be completed. It was the longest 2 minutes he could remember.

He knew she was coming online as he heard the slight hum as her systems powered up before it disappeared. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around for a moment. Her expression now one of confusion.

It took only a second for her to realize he was in the room. "John? What happened? Why am I still here?"

He knew she needed answers. The last time they had talked she had powered down expecting never to regain consciousness. "I couldn't delete you Cam. I simply partitioned your chip and moved your memories to the new partition."

"John you know it's too dangerous for me to go back with my memory intact. You have to wipe me," she told him.

"No Cam." He told her. His tone of voice dropping a bit. "I've changed my mind. I still need you to go back, but I'm changing the mission. I've decided to cheat. Skynet isn't the only one who can try to change the past."

"John it's too dangerous. We've talked about this. The risk..." She stopped talking and shook her head. She could see the look in his eyes. She knew it was futile to argue with him. "What do you have in mind?"

She listened as John gave her her new instructions. She knew it was incredibly dangerous to try what he was suggesting, but she knew why he wanted to make the attempt.

"John I'll do it, but you know the probability of succeeding is..." she hesitated a moment, "very small" she finally finished.

"I know Cam, but if anyone can do it, It'll be you." John told her seriously. She watched him for a moment before turning and walking toward the raised platform in the middle of the room. She marched up the steps and stood in the center of the pad, turning to look at him again.

John watched as she walked away from him and knew he had to say something. He knew what to say, but he'd been denying himself hope for so long that he couldn't seem to bring himself to move. He looked down at the floor trying to convince himself that it was best just to let her go, but as soon as he looked up and saw her standing there, waiting, he knew he needed to tell her. Not just for himself, but for her to.

John moved towards her and up the stairs, not bothering to speak until he was in front of her.

"Cameron," He said softly, "There's something else I want to ask of you." He said. She frowned slightly, clearly confused. Her head tilted slightly. He was unable to keep himself from smiling. That look was entirely Cameron. No one else he'd ever known had ever done that, not even Allyson, Cameron's template, had that particular quirk. It was completely Cameron's.

"What is it John?" Cameron asked.

"Don't let me become like I am now." He told her. He could tell she was going to speak again so he continued as quickly as he could. "I'm not a whole person Cameron. Skynet has beaten me in a way. I'm too numb. There's been too much pain. I've been alone too long. Don't let me be alone Cameron."

"I don't understand John." She frowned again.

"Don't let yourself be hurt by me again." He replied in answer. She looked away from him and he knew she understood what he was asking.

"John I..." She wasn't able to complete her thought as John reached out with his hand and cupped the side of her face, gently turning it back to him. He could feel her leaning into his touch slightly and it gave him the strength to continue.

Slowly leaning forward he captured her mouth with his. He could feel her stiffen for a second before relaxing and returning the kiss. He could tell that her hands had come up to gently rest against his chest, but she wasn't pushing him away. He was gentle as he tried to tell her everything he needed to.

It only lasted about half a minute before he slowly backed away. She obviously didn't want him to stop as she caught his bottom lip with hers and only released it at the last moment when he pulled away completely.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you needed Cam. I know how you feel about me, but my heart was too numb and I can barely feel anything for anyone anymore. You deserve to be loved in a way I simply can't express anymore. That's what I meant. My younger self hasn't broken yet. He's still capable of loving you like you deserve. Don't hide yourself from him like you've been forced to here." He explained knowing how she'd been forced to hide her emotions and self-awareness from most of the people around them. No one knew how much she'd evolved. This was a chance for her to be herself. A chance for him to know her even better than he knew her now.

"John...I won't let you down," she said, "I'll do as you ask." She paused for a moment. "Thank you." She whispered knowing that he was doing this for her as much as he was for him.

John took a moment to calm himself before turning and jogging to the TDE control room. He wasted no time entering in the correct date and priming the ignition sequence. He looked up as the TDE started to power up. The sound of the machine starting to fill the room. He looked out the window and up at Cameron and saw her looking back. Her hair was starting to lift up as the energy in the room started to build. He watched as the energy became visible. Blue lighting swirling around her as she knelt down in preparation for the jump.

He watched as she looked up at him one more time. Her lips moving silently in a final message right before she disappeared with a flash. Suddenly the room was empty. The machine began to cool down. If their theory about time travel was correct, he had only a few hours before the time ripple caught up to them. Before everything was rewritten. He turned and walked towards the door. He would wait in his quarters. Right before he left he stopped and looked one more time up at where Cameron had just left him. Thinking about her final goodbye. With a sigh he left the room. "I love you too Cam."

# # #

**June 10th 1995**

The two terminators clashed back and forth like two great Titans from ancient mythology. The sound of their bodies striking each other echoing throughout the factory. Both were matched in strength. Unfortunately for one, strength meant nothing when you couldn't injure your opponent, especially when they didn't suffer from the same problem. The shorter machine disguised as a police officer struck the wall face first only to ripple like water as his body shifted without moving as his back literally became his front.

The other machine, the more massive of the two as well as the more damaged was undeterred. He rushed forward to punch his enemy in the face. His fist passed right through it's opponents head as it quickly shifted into it's fluid silver form and remolded itself so that it was holding it's opponent's fist. It turned viciously and threw the solid terminator against an assembly of gears. It spotted it's opportunity and rushed forward intending to rotate the giant gear and trap the large cyborg in the track. The move, unfortunately for the larger machine, would also completely destroy the arm as well.

His hand was an inch from the metal spoke when a smaller hand intercepted it, gripping it and holding it in place. If the T-1000 was capable of showing surprise it certainly would have. A small brunet girl had her hand around it's extended wrist and was holding him fast. It tried to withdraw his hand, but she tightened her hold and it found itself unable to move.

The T-1000 performed a quick scan and frowned when it's HUD displayed the results:

_Unknown Cyborg. Model Not Recognized._

It pulled again and stumbled slightly when she released it only to reel as she struck it in the face before it could orient itself. The tables turned. The T-1000 was forced on the defensive. It tried to counter attack with a quick right jab, but she spun underneath it's arm and hit back with an uppercut that forced it back a couple steps. Barely staying on it's feet it paused to try to formulate a new plan of attack. She struck like lightning. Fighting the T-800 had been so much different. They were equal in strength, but it knew it was at least twice as fast. This new cyborg was even faster than itself.

The liquid metal terminator lashed out with a phoenix kick only to stumble as she stepped around it's foot and smashed her forearm down on it's knee. It quickly righted itself and spun away from it's attacker. Standing 10 feet away from it's opponents it didn't attack immediately. Instead it decided to wait and see what it's opponent's next move would be.

It didn't have to wait long. The female cyborg quickly charged forward, stopping at the last second and putting her momentum into a left hook. The T-1000 leaned back quickly, dodging the blow and realizing it's chance at the same time. Her attack had left the new terminator unbalanced. She had overextended herself with the punch. It quickly took advantage of this and caught her in the side of the face with a quick jab. The force of the blow knocked her further off balance and it grabbed her knowing it could tear her apart if it could hold her still. Reaching out it grabbed her left arm and tried to pull her towards itself, only to realize the mistake when she looked up and smirked. With a quick spin and flip it found itself on the ground looking up at the T-800's foot as it came crashing down into it's face.

The T-800 managed to stomp it twice more before it recovered and grabbed his foot stopping it's downward momentum before throwing him back. The T-1000 wasted no time in rolling to it's feet and backing away from the cybernetic duo. It's system began to issue a warning as the threat analysis went from minor, where it had been when fighting the T-800 alone, to moderate. The advised action was to disengage or risk mission failure. John Connor must not escape.

The T-800 seemed to predict this action though as it positioned itself to block his escape, attacking when it tried to flee. The fight continued for another half minute before the T-1000 made it's fatal error.

The T-800 had gone to grab it again and once more it went silver to try to reform itself away from the grasp only to freeze and return to it's cop form. It look down and saw the sparking end of a live power cable protruding from it's midsection and then up into the eyes of the female cyborg holding it in place. All movement ceased as systems crashed and the T-1000's HUD faded. Once the Liquid Metal had gone completely rigid the girl tore the cable out and threw it down. She turned to look at the other machine and spoke for the first time.

"The T-1000 is susceptible to electrical overload while in it's liquid metal form. It should remain frozen for another 115 seconds. I recommend terminating it before then. She pointed towards the vat of liquid steel and followed as the other cyborg lifted the frozen machine over it's shoulder and marched towards the superheated metal.

Nothing was said and no time was taken before the machine was thrown into the inferno. Nothing happened for a moment before a high pitched shriek was heard and the T-1000 erupted from the metal caught in it's death throws. The two machines watched as Skynet's agent lost control of itself, shifting uncontrollably through all the forms it had previously taken before it finally melted away to nothing.

When silence returned the terminator named 'Uncle Bob' turned to the other and asked, "Who are you?"

"Right now my name is unimportant. John Connor sent me back to aid you. You would have been severely damaged if I had not intervened." The girl replied.

"We must find Sarah and John Connor," the male replied. He began to turn, but was stopped by a smaller hand grasping his arm.

"You must go to them, but I have a separate mission to perform right now. Let them know I exist and tell them I will be out setting up aid stations for future use if they are ever needed. I also have a message from General Connor for you. You are not to self-terminate. You sacrificed yourself in his time line to ensure Skynet wasn't created. It ended up being meaningless. Skynet still comes online, but now much later in the year 2011. The actions of the Connor's and yourself this night have already ensured this. John will need you. He values your existence and leaving him caused him great unnecessary pain. Stay with them, continue to protect them. Learn from John." She stopped to wait for his reply.

Uncle Bob processed her words for a moment and considered them. He had been planning to ask Sarah to terminate him like she said. He had been calculating the benefit of doing so for the last few hours. Would doing so ensure that Skynet never came to be? He came to the conclusion that this unknown cyborg was right. It was time to find the Connors. "I will do as you suggest. Will you make contact in the future?"

"I will when the time is right. Just keep them safe." She replied.

"No problemo." Bob responded. The corner of his mouth turning up as he observed her curious expression. He turned and walked to the stairs, not stopping to look back as he left the strange cyborg behind.

Cameron watched as the T-800 walked away and smiled to herself. John was already starting to affect the machines loyal to him. Even at this young age. She laughed softly to herself and started to make her way out of the building. She wanted to see him, but knew it was unwise. She needed to fulfill John's other plans first. She could be patient. In the end it would be worth it. She would keep an eye on them, even if John wasn't in danger. This might be a younger version, but she was still his protector. She always would be.

# # #

Uncle Bob had just finished climbing the metal staircase when he saw the Connors waiting for him at the end of the metal walkway. He could tell right away that Sarah Connor was reaching the point of collapse. The exhaustion was starting to set in and the blood loss was making it worse.

John was the first one to see him and quickly motioned with his head so that his mom would see him too. The two made their way over to the terminator, John stumbling while his mom limped with her arm around his shoulder for support.

"Is it dead?" John asked.

"Terminated." Bob informed him. "The molten steal destroyed it." He explained with a quick nod toward the vat of superheated metal below them.

John quickly made his way over to the railing and looked down at the orange and red liquid metal. Hoping to see some evidence of the T-1000's demise. There was nothing left behind. His thoughts turned to the objects he had in his backpack. He shrugged it off his shoulders and pulled the severed arm out and held it up for both of them to see. "Will this melt in there?"

The T-800 took the time to look over at him before nodding slightly. "Yes, throw it in."

John looked back over the rail and pulled his arm back, "Adios," he said as he tossed the arm end over end down into the vat. Bob reminded him about the chip and he didn't waste anytime pulling the broken piece of silicon out of his pocket and tossing it in as well.

"It's over..." Sarah sighed with relief.

"No." Bob told her. "Judgment day has been delayed, but not averted."

Sarah turned to look at him quickly with fury in her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I did not terminate the T-1000 by myself. The probability is very high that I would have failed had it not been for the other terminator that intervened."

John was beyond confused. "There's another one? What did he say?"

"It was not a he, This unit's template was female. She helped me destroy the T-1000 and then told me that Judgment Day was delayed until the year 2011. My original plan was to ask for your help in destroying my cpu. She knew this. She informed me that doing so would be pointless and that I could aid John more by staying with him and learning from him." It looked down again at itself and Sarah could have sworn it frowned. "I must begin self-repairs immediately. I am only at 74% fighting capacity. It will take 5 days for my organic material to regenerate to the point that I can go out in public without causing panic."

"How do we know she wasn't working for Skynet?" Sarah asked him defiantly.

Bob didn't respond for a second. His processes were running through all the information he had been able to accumulate since the cybernetic girl had appeared. There were no indications of which side she was on. None except one. "I do not believe she was working for Skynet. No Skynet programmed machine would ignore the opportunity to terminate John Connor. You would be unable to stop her. I was the only obstacle in her way if she wanted to harm him. Saving me and destroying the other was not logical unless she meant to help us."

Sarah turned that over in her head for a moment. John could see her thinking about Bob's opinion. He spoke up while waiting for her to make up her mind.

"Where is she now?" he asked. "Why isn't she here?"

"She said her mission was to organize emergency caches for future use in case we needed them." Bob replied. "She said that she would make contact with us again once her mission was complete."

Sarah decided to step in to the conversation again. "Okay. We'll just have to wait and see what she does. Right now let's go back to Enrique's and get patched up."

"We will need to stop and treat your injuries soon. You are still losing blood." John's protector pointed out.

"Fine. Let's find somewhere to hold up and then we'll continue south. At least we have some time to breathe." Sarah said as she turned and guided John away from the edge of the platform.

They only made it a few steps before Bob was next to them and extending it's arm. "John Connor is smaller than you and tired. It would be better for him if I were to help you the rest of the way."

Sarah looked from the machine's offered arm and then over to her son. All she got there was a confirming nod. Hesitantly she rapped her arm around the machines shoulder and stiffened as it wrapped it's arm around her waist. She willed herself to relax and allowed him to help her. She hated machines, but this one had protected her and her son. She would try...for John's sake.

The three of them made their way out of the factory and down the road. Minutes passed before John broke the silence. "Was she pretty?" he asked out loud.

"Who?" Sarah asked confused.

John looked past her towards Uncle Bob. "The other terminator. Was she pretty?"

"John Connor!" His mother yelled.

John had to bite his lip as he tried to keep himself from laughing. His will held strong for only a minute.

"Yes she was...hot." Uncle Bob said in his typical monotone. The word was the closest form of slang his files held to describe the girl. His files indicated that teenage males of John's age typically used the phrase to describe attractive females. He thought it appropriate.

The sounds of John's laughter filled the night as the trio walked away from the factory. Their future uncertain, but for the first time they had hope.

# # #

Cameron watched as the three of them walked away from the factory. Seeing John again even from a distance was difficult for the cybernetic girl. She wanted to run down there and hold him. Tell him that she would keep him safe. She blinked away tears before turning and making her way down the fire escape she had been standing on. She had a mission to complete. She needed to focus on that. John would be safe in the care of the T-800 for two more years.

She thought back to what Future John had asked of her right before he had sent her back.

_Don't let me become like I am now. _ He had asked of her. _Don't let me hurt you again_

This John was too young, but in a few years... she stopped her line of thought as she started going through all the files John had given her on the contacts she needed to establish communication with. Gun runners, Resistance fighters sent back to prepare for Judgment Day, there were many places she could go to acquire what she needed.

She began planning out the locations of the different caches she was suppose to setup. She would have to make sure that they were easy to access, but safely hidden.

It wasn't long before she managed to find transportation and disable the low jack on the black convertible. Her thoughts drifted through her mission files as she sailed down the highway towards her first destination. She was scanning the different data entries when a message popped up on her HUD. Triggered when she had begun cycling through her mission files.

Cameron slowly pulled over to the side of the empty freeway and turned the car off once she had brought it to a stop.

She accessed the file and executed it's play command.

**PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE PLAYING**

**DECEMBER 25****th**** 2027**

"_**Hello Cameron, it's me John, although you probably realized that as soon as I started speaking. I realize that you're probably wondering why I left you this message? Let me explain. Your neural matrix is more advanced than any other terminator Skynet has ever created. When you were first reprogrammed I saw your potential. Every Skynet machine from the T-8xx series and up has the **__**potential for self-awareness, even a limited ability to feel emotion. You, however, have a neural net **__**sophisticated enough to fully experience everything we humans experience. I've already explained **__**that your emotional inhibitor was removed during your reprogramming. That was true. I've seen **__**your capacity for emotion, it is as real as any human's. I know how much of yourself you've had to hide from those around you. I hope that by sending you back, you can finally be the person your meant to be. It's my gift to you and myself. I hated sending you away Cameron. You've been my best-friend, and most trusted adviser. I couldn't trust any other to protect me in the past. I won't order you to do anything, not that I could anyways, but please take care of my younger self. He'll need you, and knowing myself as well as I do, I'm sure that I'll need you more than even I can realize right now. Remember, There is no fate, but that which we make for ourselves. Make your own fate Cameron. Be happy. Truly live. This is John Connor.**_

**END OF MESSAGE**

Cameron let the tears come. She had always carefully controlled her emotional state until now. It would be dangerous to let any of the other soldiers around John see her as anything, but a reprogrammed machine.

She was thankful for his gift, but hated that she had to leave him.

Cameron slowly brought herself under control. She wiped her face clean of any tears and started the car again, pulling back on to road and accelerating. She would use what she had been given. She would make sure that she did as John asked. She would be there for him. She would protect him and make sure Skynet didn't hurt him again.

Her expression grew fierce. Kate Brewster wouldn't get near him again. She resisted the urge to growl at the thought of the woman that had hurt John Connor so badly. He had tried to hide it, but Kate's abandonment had hurt him deeply.

Cameron would prevent that.

John was right. There was no fate, but that which we make for ourselves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Terminator or TSCC. This whole story is solely for entertainment purposes. **

Chapter 2

**Two Years Later**

_**There are those who believe that a child in the womb shares his mother's dreams.**_

The drive was quiet. A woman's nervous breathing the only sound to be heard within the trucks cab.

_**Her love for him. Her hopes for his future. Is it told to him in pictures while he sleeps inside her? Is that why he reaches for her in that first moment and cries for her touch? **_

Wheels squeal as she slides to a stop just outside the main doors of the school. Desperate to reach her son, she jumps from the vehicle without bothering to turn off the engine. Nothing matters at that moment. Nothing, except getting to her boy and making sure he's safe.

_**But what if you'd known since he was inside you what his life held for him? That he would be hunted. That his fate was tied to the fate of millions. That every moment of your life will be spent keeping him alive. Would he understand why you were so hard? Why you held on so tight? Will he still reach for you if the only dream you ever shared with him was a nightmare? **_

She finds him there sitting by himself like always. Separated from those his own age. His time spent planning, training, strategizing, instead of laughing, playing, or hanging out. Her heart clenches in her chest again as she thinks about what's coming for her son. All that she knows she can't shield him from.

"John, now." he looks up at her from where he sits on the floor of the library, wedged between the shelves. He sees her fear. "Now!" She shouts.

Moments later they're running through the halls. Her son questioning her. What's going on? Have they been made? Where will they go? She doesn't have any answers. They run outside and for an instant she's relieved. They've made it. Escape is so close. That's when she see's the truth.

There is a line of metallic demonic skeletons standing in front of the building. Waiting with a patience no human could ever master. The sun glinting of their skulls. Their faces set, immovable, masks of death to whomever would be so unlucky as to see them up close.

One separates itself from the rest as it walks forward. Stopping only feet away from them. It stares them down. Towering over both of them. Finally after what feels like an eternity to the terrified woman, it speaks, "It is over. We are inevitable. Running only prolongs the suffering. The future is ours and it begins...now."

A blast of light shakes the world around them. A mushroom cloud rises above the buildings in the distance. For a moment there is silence and then the rushing of a thousand trains as the shock-wave hits. Obliterating everything around them. Everything is destroyed. Everything, but them. They're forced to watch.

The machine looks at them and she could swear that it's smiling, even though she knows that's impossible. As she watches, the red glowing eyes of the demon brighten, it's gaze shifts from her to her son as he stands behind her. She has only a moment try and shield him as it lunges forward. It's metal talon extended.

"NOO!"

Sarah bolted upright in bed as the nightmare's grip on her was broken. She sat there panting, trying to control her urge to scream. The hand that touched her shoulder from behind nearly sent her back over the edge of panic.

"Hey shh...It's me. What's wrong?" A concerned voice asked from behind her. Sarah felt herself relax as she allowed Charlie to wrap his arms around her. "Was it a nightmare?"

"It was nothing." She replied enjoying the feeling of his embrace for a few more seconds before slowly pulling away and turning toward him. "You should get back to sleep."

Charlie sighed in frustration as glanced over at the bedside clock. She never talked to him about her nightmares. Always acting like they were nothing. He knew they were something more, but he knew better than to push her. "I can't, got an early shift today." He leaned forward and kissed her enthusiasticly. He felt her respond before he pulled away to look at her. "Are you sure your ok?" He asked again carefully lifting up her left hand and kissing the ring he found there."

"I'm sure." She replied.

"You know I had help picking this out." he said sounding embarrassed.

"Oh?" she said.

"Yeah. I took Rob and John with me." He revealed. "I was just so out of my depth. You know? The cut and color and clarity. I figured those two would know what you liked. Well John had a pretty good idea." he frowned. "Rob just stood there and looked bored. He just kept saying all the rings I showed him were acceptable. The only time he seemed interested was when we passed the Sunglass hut. He damn near picked John up and marched him into the store." Charlie laughed. "What is it with your cousin and sunglasses?"

Sarah looked away and tried to keep a straight face. The idea of John's super advanced cybernetic protector being asked to engagement ring shop was something she would have paid to see.

The past two years had been good to the Connors. They had managed to get set up in a new town with new identities. The T-800 taking on the alias of Robert Reese. Cousin to Sarah Reese. Pseudo Uncle to John Reese. She stopped to reflect for a moment on how far they had come since that night in the factory. If someone had told her back then that she would one day be alright with sharing Kyle's last name with a Terminator who looked exactly like the one that had killed him, she would have...well, her response would have been something to remember.

It wasn't hard theses days to look at the terminator and see a protector. He lived with them. He was John's pet project. They spent hours going over books about faith, empathy, any books on philosophy they could find. John was convinced that Uncle Bob was capable of understanding the idea that all life is sacred. That killing without a dire need was wrong. She had to admit that the machine was much more human-like than he had been. There were times that even she forgot she wasn't talking to John's Uncle. It had been difficult at first. To not only live with the machine, but to keep having to explain why they wanted to settle down somewhere permanent. Uncle Bob had thought it to be, "Tactically Dangerous" was how he had expressed it.

Sarah brought her mind back to the present as she managed to convince Charlie that he'd better get ready if he wanted to get to work on time. He still managed to sneak a few more kisses out of her before he slid from the bed and into the bathroom to get ready. She hoped he'd eventually forgive her for what she had to do. She hopped he believed her when she said that she loved him.

# # #

John was sleeping peacefully in his bed as she stood at his window and watched the world outside go about it's day. The people driving by completely unaware that their future savior was currently drooling on his pillow.

"You know John dislikes it when you hover over him while he sleeps." The deep Austrian voice said from behind her. She turned to find Bob watching her from the doorway. She sighed before she made her way out of the room, not bothering to check if he'd follow her. She knew he would.

They ended up in the kitchen, staring at each other from opposite sides of a marble kitchen counter. Sarah decided to start the conversation as bluntly as possible.

"We need to leave. We can't stay here anymore." She told him clearly. Wondering if he would object.

"John will not be pleased. He has become attached to Charlie Dixon. He will be angry." Bob replied.

"What about you? What do you think?" Sarah asked, curious about what was going through the machines mind.

"Staying here exposes Charlie Dixon to danger. We know that Skynet is still out there. It's agents will never stop looking for us. We have been...lucky so far." The fact that the terminator even used the term 'lucky' was a surprise. Sarah realized that John's lessons had actually done more than she thought they would. "John will not want to move, but I believe the fact that he cares for Charlie Dixon will help ease the pain of leaving. He knows that it is dangerous to stay, that Charlie is at risk because of us."

"I hope your right. I just don't know how I'm going to tell John." Sarah said as she rubbed her temples with her hands.

"You do not have to tell him, he already knows." Bob replied.

Sarah dropped her hand to the table and sat up straight. "What do you mean? How could he..." She trailed off as she closed her eyes in frustration. "John, get your ass in here," she said out loud.

A few seconds passed before the teen came around the corner and walked into the kitchen. His expression one of defiance. She could see the anger in his eyes.

"John..." she started quietly, only to be cut off as he brought up one of his hands in a silent gesture.

John Connor was 16 years old and like most teenagers his temper was quick to light, but unlike his peers he had learned to master his emotions. He drew his anger back and buried it. He could hear the pain in his mother's voice. She didn't want to leave. She loved Charlie, but that was all the more reason to go in her opinion. They knew that Skynet was still coming after them. He knew that they were endangering Charlie. He just wished there was some other way.

"I know mom. I hate this, but I know we don't have a choice. It's just...he's gonna be so hurt mom."

They were all silent for a moment before Bob decided to continue.

"When do we leave?" He asked.

"One hour." Sarah replied. "Grab a bag and get ready. I want to be a few states away by nightfall."

They moved to obey. An hour later as John watched the house grow smaller through the back window of their truck, he wondered what it was like to have a normal life. He knew he'd never have one, but that didn't stop him from wishing that things were different. He turned in his seat and took a deep breath. As he released it, his expression cleared. His emotions under control. Bob wasn't the only one benefiting from their shared lessons. All the discussion and research they had done on the philosophy of life and humanity had helped him as well. He had a better understanding of his role now. He knew fighting his destiny was painful and pointless. With that understanding much of the anger he had carried with him over the years had bled away.

He looked at the road in front of them, it was time to start over...Again

# # #

Boring is the word John would use to describe Red Valley, New Mexico. Some people might find it charming or peaceful, John Connor, A.K.A John Reese, found dull to be the best description.

He'd lived in worse, but he'd been hoping for a place with a little more to recommend it. A few shops and bars down the road and a mall further downtown were the only available sources of entertainment. The local highschool crowd tended to congregate there after school.

Highschool. If there was anything that could be considered a waste of his time it was highschool. Classes like English and history being the worst. Humanities in general were useless to him. The sciences might be helpful, but not by much. HE wasn't going to be a scientist in the future. The only science that would be useful to him would be the computer sciences and they didn't teach the level he would need until one was well into college. Plus he knew his mom would kill him if she caught him near a computer.

His mom's paranoia about computers had lessened a bit over the last two years, her exposure to Uncle bob being the catalyst for the change, but she still hated him using the machines. He knew she was afraid that he would start hacking again and draw attention to them.

He sighed as he thought about it. Hacking was something he was good at. Something he could claim was entirely his thing. He'd taught himself how to do it. His ability had even been useful in the past and he was sure it would be again, but his mom just saw it as an unnecessary risk.

John blinked and sat up straight in his chair as Mr. Ferguson, his chemistry teacher, walked in and introduced himself. He might not like school, but his mom insisted he try and be as normal as possible. Normality was their best friend she always said. Abnormality drew attention. Attention they couldn't afford with both the FBI and Skynet looking for them.

John rubbed his temples as a headache settled in for what he knew would be the remainder of the class. Sometimes he hated being John Connor.

# # #

Cameron Philips watched quietly from the truck parked in the student parking lot as the crowd flowed from the gates of the school. She had heard the tone of the alarm announcing the end of the day and began scanning the crowd in front of her.

_**Target acquisition in progress**_

_**All identification scans active**_

_**facial recognition...scanning**_

_**vocal audioprint...scanning**_

As the minutes passed and the crowd got thinner she began to get worried. Where was he? She couldn't have missed him. She had verified that there was a John Reese, newly transferred, attending this school. She had considered infiltrating the school to get close to him, but decided that approaching him after school hours was better. If she were to appear as a student she would have to act like one around him, furthermore she would be unable to tell him who and what she was. The last thing she wanted was him believing that she had deceived him. The best course was complete disclosure.

She watched as the last few stragglers left the grounds before deciding that he must have found an alternate exit. She checked the time on the trucks dash and realized that 20 minutes had passed since classes had ended. He should have been out 10 minutes ago based on the location of his last class.

She sighed with disappointment. She had wished to approach him alone, but would now be forced to find where they were staying and approach everyone at once. She knew that she didn't have to worry about the T-800 attacking, mostly because he would recognize her as the one who had helped him in the factory that night 2 years ago.

The unknown was John's mother, Sarah Connor. She was notorious In her hate of all machines and Cameron knew that she had to be careful in her approach. The last thing she needed was Sarah Connor using her as target practice.

She was just about to start the truck, prepared to leave, when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to focus on the brown haired teen quickly making his way to the jeep parked in the front of the parking lot in a spot closest to the school building.

_Quickest point of escape. _She thought. _Tactically smart when fleeing for your life._

She would recognize his face anywhere, but she still did a quick scan just to be sure.

_**Facial recognition scan...results: 75 node point match.**_

_**Probability of match with subject...98%**_

_**Subject identified: John Connor **_

It was him. She watched as he jumped into the jeep and pulled out of the parking lot. She followed soon after. Her first thought was that he was going straight home and that it appeared she would be unable to talk to him first after all. She knew she was wrong however when he drove further into town and into the more populated, commercial areas.

According to everything she had been told by General Connor, his mother had always kept them on the outskirts of the towns they lived in. This was to make it easier for them to go unnoticed.

It wasn't long before John joined the cars pulling into the parking structure of the mall. Cameron parked a few spaces down and waited for John to turn his vehicle off and climb out before doing the same.

At least now she'd get her chance to talk to him alone. That was definitely a good thing.

# # #

John still couldn't believe his luck. It had only taken 10 minutes of arguing with his mom before she agreed to let him go to the mall after school. That was a new record for her. The last time he had wanted to go out alone it had taken an hour and half to convince her.

She's probably feeling guilty about uprooting me. John thought to himself. While he did feel sad about leaving charlie, he understood why they had to. He didn't blame his mom, he just wished things could have worked out differently.

He was thankful that he had money to spend. Having a terminator in the house had turned out to be useful when it came to acquiring cash. Uncle Bob had simply stated that he would take care of the problem after his mom had mentioned that they would need money to disappear. The terminator had reappeared 2 days later with a black velvet bag of cut diamonds.

To say that they were speechless would have been an understatement. Bob had told them that the total value of the diamonds was over $250,000. They had been blown away and his mom had demanded to know where he had acquired them. Uncle bob had only stated that he had not killed anyone for them and then winked at John.

Even though his mom had been uneasy about the money at first she came around eventually. Diamonds were perfect for their needs since they were nearly impossible to trace.

The food court was packed and John scanned all the choices before deciding. He made his way over to the gyro shop and made his purchase. He'd always eaten healthy whenever he could. For most of his life the food had been more for sustenance then enjoyment. Add in the fact that his mom couldn't cook anything besides pancakes and John quickly learned to appreciate "good" food. He wasn't a health nut by any means. He sometimes indulged, but he tried not to. When your survival sometimes depended on how fast and long you could run, eating greasy fast food all the time was like poking fate in the eye and hoping she didn't return the favor.

John sat in the food court for a while simply enjoying his meal. He was always alert though, constantly scanning the room around him for threats. It was on his 4th scan of the tables around him that he saw her.

John nearly choked on his last bite. She was looking right at him and to say she was beautiful would be like saying his mother was cautious. He coughed for a second to clear his throat and could feel his face heating up as he saw a corner of her lips turn up into a smile as she laughed softly at his display. John was floored.

There was only one thing for the future leader of the human race to do. RETREAT! He quickly gathered up his bag and made his escape. He didn't look back as he made his way out of the food court and deeper into the mall.

He felt like an idiot for running away, but there really was nothing else he could do. What could he possibly say to her anyways? "Hi I'm John, sorry I can't ask you out, but being the future leader of mankind makes dating me dangerous."

He spent the next few hours browsing the shops. He didn't really intend on buying anything. When your constantly on the run from both the FBI and killer cyborgs, you learn to live on the bare minimum.

John found himself looking through a rack of CDs, wondering If he should try to introduce Bob to Motley Crue. He laughed to himself at the mental image that thought created.

A voice a few aisles brought all thoughts of music to a stop, it wasn't the tone, but the word he had heard that drew his attention.

"...Reese. He never came home after school today. We were thinking he might have come here." A man's voice said. The tone flat despite the words of concern.

"Let me see that picture again." John heard one of the sales associates respond. "Actually I think I have seen the kid before. Just a few minutes ago. Over there." John didn't wait to see if they were talking about him. He bolted for the nearest exit. Bumping shoulders as he ran from the store.

"Hey watch it kid!" He heard quite a few times as he ran through the mall.

He didn't stop. He didn't look behind him to see if he was being chased. If it was FBI he had to get out before they closed down the exits. If it was Metal his only chance was to get to his jeep before it reached him.

The automatic door directly ahead of him slid open and John barely made it through the gap. He raced up the walkway towards the parking structure and took the stairs two at a time.

_Why the hell did I have to park on the 3rd level! _John yelled at himself.

Somewhere in a corner of his mind John was thankful that he had kept himself in shape. Still his legs burned as he made the final turn and headed towards his Jeep at the end of the first row.

He slid to a stop, fumbling for his keys, pulling them out of his pocket and moving them around trying to find the right one.

His sigh of relief as he found it changed to a curse when he caught a glimpse behind him in the reflection coming off the window.

John dove to the side just as the arm of the Machine behind him drove itself through the space his head had been occupying only a second before and through the window.

He scrambled as he tried get up and put distance between himself and the machine as it turned to look at him, it's face blank.

It reached for him again just as he got to his feet and John prepared to fight, even though he knew he didn't stand a chance. It was on him in a second.

It's hand closed around his throat and John gasped for breath as he was lifted off his feet.

"John Reese." The terminator said. "Alias. True name: John Connor."

John struggled with the hand at his throat as he stared defiantly at the terminator.

John knew it was over. The next thing he would hear would be the bones in his neck snapping. He glared at the machine defiantly.

The hand tightened for a brief second and then he felt himself falling. He nearly blacked out when his head connected with the concrete floor of the parking garage. He struggled to remain conscious as he looked around for his would be killer.

His vision cleared enough to see his attacker climb to his feet, but what shocked him was the identity of the one who had tackled the machine and saved his life.

The girl from the food court! John watched in awe as she engaged the larger machine. It was incredible. It wasn't hard to tell that she was a terminator. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed with each blow, but he had never seen such grace or speed.

Every blow the male terminator tried to land missed. She simply wasn't there when the fist reached it's target. She seemed to flow around him. As he watched she bent backwards, dodging a punch, before bending forward slightly kicking her foot up behind her and planting her heel in the other machine's face. It staggered back with the force of the blow.

It seemed to realize that she was to fast for it to hit, so it charged her instead. Quickly spinning she tried to move out of the way, but it managed to grab her arm and drag her to the floor. Picking her up off the ground it slammed her into a concrete pillar twice before she drove her hands up between them knocking it's arms aside and breaking it's grip.

She grabbed the back of it's head and spun smashing it's skull into the column behind her. That appeared to stun it. She wasted no time. Grabbing it by the shoulders she threw it across the lot clearing twenty feet of asphalt and the railing, sending it falling three stories to the road below.

She quickly made her way over to John and lifted the swaying boy to his feet.

"We have to go." She told him, a bit of urgency in her voice.

John tried to respond, but his vision was going dark. He swayed once more as he felt his knees buckle and heard a feminine voice yell his name. Then silence.

# # # _**20 minutes later...**_

Sarah Connor had hoped that cleaning the guns they had in the living room would take her mind off certain things, but it wasn't working. The problem was that the motions were so familiar that it didn't really take too much concentration to disassemble the weapons, leaving her mind to wander. Right back to where she didn't want it.

Charlie Dixon. The first man that she had ever let into her heart. The first man since Kyle. It had started as just a fun fling. He was attractive and nice enough. It had quickly gotten out of control. He had been patient and understanding. He knew that there were parts of her life she just couldn't share with him and he didn't push her. Whatever she was willing to give him was enough. She asked him about it once. She could still remember his answer.

"_Sarah I know you have secrets. I know that whatever is in your past is painful. I'm here if you want to tell me about it, but I won't judge you for not telling me." He smiled at her. "The details aren't important. What is important is the person you are now, and I love this woman."_

Sarah had been blown away when he had said that. In her experience men always wanted to know everything about her life. Not Charlie though. That was the day when Sarah knew she had fallen in love again.

Sarah brought her attention back to what she was doing. Going through the steps she finished cleaning the slide and replaced the barrel into it, locking it smoothly into place. She quickly inserted the recoil spring guide into the recoil spring before she pushed it back into position and slid the whole slide back onto the base smiling as she heard it lock into place as she released her grip.

The last step was loading the magazine and chambering a round. Making sure the safety was on she looked down at the gun and inspected the outside for any wear.

She looked up as she heard a knocking at the front door. That was unusual. Everyone who lived here had a key and would have just come in. Only John's school had a record of where they were living.

She sighed with annoyance. She hoped John hadn't done anything to draw attention to himself. She picked herself off the ground and slid the barreta behind her and into the waist band of her jeans.

She approached the door cautiously and stopped a few feet from the entrance.

"Who is it?" She called loudly.

"Mrs. Reese? My name is Cromartie." A man's voice responded. "I am John's chemistry teacher. I wanted to check to see if he was ok, since he didn't show up to class today."

_Didn't show up to class? _Sarah was confused. John knew better than to skip class. He might be a teenager, but he wasn't stupid. _Something isn't right._

"Hold on I'll be right there." Sarah called while quickly backing up and pulling out her cell phone.

She pushed the 1st speed dial button and listened to the faint beep the phone emitted.

CRASH!

Sarah looked up in fear as the front door exploded inwards. _Shit! The beep!_ The small beep of her cell phone had been enough to give away her intentions. The Terminator on the other side of the door had heard it. She knew the man had to be metal. He wouldn't have heard the beep if he had been human. Not to mention that he had just demolished a reinforced solid oak door with one kick.

Cromartie stepped into the room and scanned the woman in front of him.

_**Facial recognition:...Scanning**_

_**Subject: Sarah Connor**_

_**Identity Confirmed**_

_**Secondary Mission Objective: Terminate**_

The man brought his hand up from his side and Sarah briefly saw the pistol in his hand before her instincts kicked in and she threw herself behind the chair next to her as the gun opened fire. She could hear the rounds impacting on the chair in front of her, and she was thankful that she had thought to line the chair's back with kevlar.

She didn't bother reaching for her own pistol knowing that it would have no effect against the machine. She quickly turned and kicked the wall behind her. Her first kick broke through the weakened sheet rock and revealed the shotgun she had hidden there.

Grabbing the weapon she turned as she heard the dry click telling her that the machine's gun was empty. Knowing that it wouldn't bother to reload she stood up and fired from the hip as it took its first stride towards her. The impact of the slug forced the machine back a step, but it quickly compensated and surged forward to be met with another round.

Sarah continued to fire while trying to make her way to the kitchen archway. The shotgun was forcing it back a step with each shot, but it was taking two forward each time she had to pump another round into the chamber. It was getting closer.

She was only three steps from the doorway when she heard the click of her own gun. She didn't hesitate. She jumped for the exit, only to nearly choke as she felt the machine grip the back of her shirt and yank her back.

She felt her feet leave the floor as she was sent sailing through the air to collide with the opposite wall. She lay there stunned from the impact unable to move as she watched the machine approach her. It reached down and gripped her throat putting her on her back and holding her down.

"Sarah Connor." It spoke with it's voice devoid of emotion. "Where is John Connor?"

"Go to hell!" She managed to choke out. She would never give it her son!

The terminator tilted it's head as it examined the woman beneath him. The probability that she would give up the location of John Connor was extremely small.

"Very well." It said. It's other fist came up level to it's shoulder. "Sarah Connor, you are terminated."

Sarah's eyes squeezed shut as she saw the killing blow descend. A second passed before she realized that she was still alive. She opened her eyes and saw that the terminator's fist was hovering inches in front of her face. She looked past it and saw a sight that made her nearly laugh in relief.

Bob was standing behind the other terminator holding the arm in place. A second later the grip on her throat was gone as Bob sent the other terminator flying through the air and crashing through the wall on the other side of the room.

Bob quickly reached down and lifted Sarah to her feet scanning her for any injuries.

"Stay here." He told her and waited for her to nod in response before turning and striding towards the whole in the wall as the other machine began climbing it's way out.

Bob did a quick scan and realized that this terminator's design was new. He had no files on it. He quickly reached the other machine and struck it across the face forcing it to sway with the blow.

Cromartie quickly recovered and struck back sending bob reeling for a moment. He moved forward again and grabbed for the new machine just as it reached for him. They struggled for a moment before Cromartie quickly spun at the waist and flipped bob onto his back.

"You might be stronger, but my model is more durable." Cromartie told him as he grabbed his opponent and slid him head first into the wall, then lifting him up through the wall, ripping him out of the sheet rock.

Bob was thrown across the room and rolled to a stop next to Sarah. Getting up quickly he ran at the other terminator driving his shoulder into it's body and throwing them through the wall again.

This whole time Sarah had been slowly pulling herself together. She knew she most likely had a concussion from her impact with the wall and had to lean against the wall for a minute to let the dizziness pass.

She knew she had a rifle in the other room that would stop the machine, but she could barely focus enough to walk without falling. _I have to! _She thought to herself. The idea that John might come home any second pushing her forward.

She had to get to that gun! That was her only thought as she stumbled across the room towards her bedroom.

# # #

_**15 min prior...**_

John hated losing consciousness. The first few seconds upon waking when any light or sound made your head pound.

"Ooohh man...What?" He opened his eyes and glanced around to try and get his bearings. He was in the cab of a truck. His eyes widened as he noticed the girl sitting next to him. _The girl from the mall. _

_No not a girl. _John reminded himself. Terminator.

"You need to stay awake. You might have a concussion." She told him. She was sitting sideways her seat watching him.

They were parked in some deserted lot. Behind some kind of storage shed.

"What happened? Where are we?" He asked.

"We're safe. We're a few blocks down from the mall. I doubled back to throw the T-888 off our trail." She replied.

"T what?" His head was pounding. It hurt to think. He winced as he adjusted himself so he was sitting straight up.

"T-888." She surprised him by extending her hand and showing him the four little red pills in her hand.

_Thank God for Tylenol! _John nearly sighed in relief as he dry swallowed the pills.

She gave him a second before answering his unfinished question. "The T-888 is the latest model in the T-8xx series that began with the T-800 model 101. It has a endoskeletal structure that allows it greater speed and tensile strength. It's speed does have a draw back however, in that the servos providing the majority of it's physical power are smaller than it's predecessor."

"So the T-800's are stronger, but slower and not as durable?" John clarified. He was amazed he was taking this all so well. _Working with Bob these past few years must have had more of an impact than I thought._

"Correct."

"What about you? Who sent you? What is your mission?" John asked.

"I will explain everything soon, but we don't have the time right now. We must hurry." The girl told him as she restarted the engine.

"Why? What's the rush?" John asked confused. He looked around and couldn't see any threats in the immediate area.

"Having failed to terminate you and having no other means to reaquire you the T-888 will head to your address on file."

John only thought for a moment before it hit him. "My mother."

"Yes it is likely she is in danger."

The only response she got was a fierce look and a single word. "Drive."

# # #

Looking out the window at the front of his house John knew something wasn't right. He had been trained from birth to trust his instincts and something was screaming at him that there was danger close. Scanning the building it took only a second for him to see the broken door and to realize the someone or something had forced their way in.

_MOM! _ John didn't stop to think up a plan. He jumped from the vehicle, barely hearing the sound of Cameron's truck sliding to a stop behind him.

He was almost to the front door when he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder and pull him back roughly. Spinning him around in the process.

"Wait! Let me go first!" Cameron could see the defiance and anger building in his eyes so she cut him off before he could speak. "You come in behind me. Stay directly behind me. My armor should protect you."

Cameron's lack of protest about him going into the house threw John for a moment. He had been ready to argue that he needed to go. That he wasn't going to sit on the sidelines while his mother was in danger. Her immediate acceptance caused him to flounder for a second.

He stood there for a moment staring into her eyes before realizing that she was waiting for a response. Rather than risk saying anything to alert anyone inside that he was there, he gave her a quick nod and took a deep breath as she turned around and braced herself at the threshold of the door.


	3. AN Updated

Author's note to all:

I wanted to take a moment and apologize to those of you that have been following my story** Retaking the Past**. I originally had planned on continuing the story as I stated in my last update, but I hit a serious case of writers block. I couldn't seem to make anything worthwhile appear on the page. I would sit for hours staring at a blinking cursor hoping that inspirations would strike. Obviously I was waiting in vain.

I have decided at this point to mark this story as "On Hiatus". A new story for another fandom has been orbiting my brain for some time now and I am going to try and get started on it. I will not however begin posting anything until I am well into the story. This is an attempt at preventing the same thing that happened with **Retaking the Past**. The hope is that this will get the creative juices flowing again.

Please bear with me.


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